Engine starting device



Sept. 29, 1936. w HARTY 2,055,976

ENGINE STARTING DEVICE Filed July 5, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor 3 pg-00am I flllorney Sept. 29, 1936. w HARTY 2,055,976

ENGINE STARTING DEVICE Filed July 3, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /6 2 x Invenfor 13 4 45' /7 /8 flew V1 14427 Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE lclnlm.

My invention relates generally to means for starting internal combustion engines, and particularly to a device especially adapted for automobile internal combustion engines, operable when conditioned to operate to start the engine initially and to start the engine subsequently should the same stall, and an important object of my invention is to provide a direct acting device of this kind which is simple in structure and arrangement, and easily installed on conventional automobiles.

It is also an important object of my invention to provide a vacuum controlled electrical start ing device of the character indicated which is conditioned for operation simply by turning on the ignition.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description in connection with the drawings, wherein for purposes of illustration I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a general diagrammatic representation of the device of the invention.

Figure 2 is front elevational view of the control switch.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the vacuum cylinder showing the operative connection thereof with other parts.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the electro-nragnetic switch.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view, taken approximately on the line 55 of Figure 3 and looking downwardly in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal'vertical sectional view through a portion of the piston rod showing the spring pressed stop.

Referring in detail to the drawings the numeral 5 refers generally to a closed vacuum cylinder having in its forward end the vacuum pipe connection 6 arranged to be connected to the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine (not shown). Within the cylinder 5 is the suction pistonl having the piston rod 8 projecting through the front 9 of the vacuum cylinder. A helical spring in works between the front end oi the cylinder and the back of the piston 1 to normally thrust the cylinder rearwardly into the position shown in Figure 3.

Near the rear end of the piston rod 8 is the spring pressed stop H which is pivoted in an opening I! in the piston rod by the pivot l3. The front end of the opening I! is right angular so that in the spring pressed forward position of the stop II it is at right angles to the piston rod as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The opening H has a lower rearward portion l4 whose top I! declines rearwardly, enabling the stop H to swing rearwardly farther than would be the case were the rear end of the opening 12 right angular like the front end of the opening H. A spring 16 has one arm i1 working against the back of the stop II and the divergent arm 18 working against the top of the recess ll as shown in Figure 6 to maintain the stop normally in the right angular position shown in Figure 6.

In the initial position of the piston rod 8 indicated in Figure 3 the rear end of the piston rod is in contact closing engagement with an insulating button IS on the spring contact arm 2| of the normally open switch 20. The contact arm 2| has a contact 22 which engages the contact 23 of the spring arm 24 of the switch whereby to close the circuit through the arms 2| and 2d.

Below the piston rod 8 is the rotatable gas control shaft or rod 25 which has secured thereon the segment 25 in back of which the stop il normally is located as shown in Figure 3.

The control or ignition switch generally designated 21 includes the dielectric base 28 on which is pivoted as indicated at 29 the switch handle 80 which has the dielectric finger piece 3! and the-conductive arms 32, 33 and 34 arranged at the divergent angles indicated in Figure 2. The base 28 has mounted thereon contacts 35, 38, 31, and 38, the contacts 35 and 31 being connected by a wire 39. I

When the switch handle 30 is in the left hand position shown in Figure 2, the device of the invention is in condition for full automatic operation.

When the switch handle 30 is the straight up and down position, the device of the invention is in the completely inoperative condition.

When the switch handle 30 is in a right hand tilted position at approximately 90 degrees from the position shown in Figure 2, the device of the invention is in a condition in which the ignition circuit is operative and the engine may be started with a crank, but the starter motor of the engine is inoperative and disconnected.

The arm 24 of the switch 20 is connected by a wire 4| to the point 38 on the control switch 21. The remaining arm 2| of the switch 20 is connected by a wire 42 to one side of the electro magnet 44 01' the electro-magnetic switch 43, the opposite side of which magnet 44 is connected by a wire 45 to one side of the starter motor ll.

The wire 435 is connected to the ground as indicated at fad.

The remaining side of the starter motor dd is connected by a wire 6? to the stationary con-= tact dd of the electro-magnetic switch 63 the movable armature d9 of which is connected by a wire 5@ to the switch point 35 oi the control switch 2?, the wire 59 being also connected to one side of the battery 5i whose remaining side is grounded as indicated at 52.

The wire 53 which is connected to the control switch point 3? and also to the wire 39 which connects the control switch points 35 and 3? leads to the breaker points of the ignition system (not shown).

The electro-magnetio switch 33 comprises the closed casing 56 which has the upwardly angulated top 55 to provide room for the swinging of the armature 56 which is a spring blade anchored to one end of the top of the casing by the binding post bolt 57, being insulated from the casing by insulating washers 58 and 59 engaging opposite sides of the top as shown in Figure 4. Intermediate its ends the armature 56 carries the magnetically permeable disk 66 which is posi. tioned directly above the core iii of the electromagnet 4d. The free end of the blade has on its underside the contact 62 whose lower surface is angulated as indicated at 63 to cooperate with the angulated upper surface 66 of the stationary contact 48. The stationary contact 68 passes through the forward end of the casing and is insulated therefrom by insulating washers 65 and 66, a portion of the contact 38 acting as a binding post and being threaded as indicated at 51 to receive the clamping nut 68 holding the connector 69 in place. A similar connector id is engaged with the binding post 5'! by the clamping nut H. The electro-magnet Ad is vertically arranged and mounted on the fioor of the casing 54 as shown.

With the ignition control switch 21 having its control handle 30 positioned as shown in Figure 2, and the piston rod ii being in the position shown in Figure 3, wherein the switch arms 2| and 24 are engaged, the current will flow through the wire 50 from the battery to the contact 35 through the switch arms 32, 33 and 34 to the "ignition circuit .wire 53 and also to the wire il, through the switch 20 by the wire 42 to one side of the electro-magnet 44, across to the grounded side of the battery, thereby energizing the electromagnet 44 and causing the armature 56 to be drawn downwardly and engage its contact 62 with the stationary contact 48 so as to close the battery circuit from the ungrounded side of the battery 5| to one side of the starter motor 40 and through the ground to the grounded side of the battery, thereby energizing the starter motor 40, while the ignition circuit is closed. The control switch arm is left in the position in Figure 2 while the automobile is being operated.

As soon as the automobile engine has started, the vacuum created in front of the piston l in the vacuum cylinder 5 draws the piston rod 8 forwardly so that its step ii yields rearwardly until it gets in front of the segment 26 when it reassumes the vertical or right angular position; and at the same time the rear end of the piston rod is withdrawn from engagement with the dielectric button It, whereby the spring arms aosacre of the switch 2e are permitted to open and break the circuits to the electro-magnetic switch and to the starter motor, the circuit to the engine ignition being, however, maintained despite the open condition of the switch it by the engagement of the control switch arms 32 and 33 with the contacts '35 and 3?, respectively.

When for one reason or another a reduction of the suction in the intake manifold takes place as when the engine is pulling hard, such that the spring it in the vacuum cylinder 5 is able to overcome and push the piston rod d rearwardly, the step i l strikes the forward side of the segment 26, which, because of the operated condition of the throttle is in the path of the stop it. Since the stop it is not free to swing forwardly, the piston rod 8 will be prevented from moving far enough to the rear to close the switch 26. If this arrangement were not provided, the starter motor would be needlessly operated every time the engine was under heavy load or was being suddenly accelerated, in each of which situations, a reduction' of the vacutun in the cylinder 5 would obtain. However, when the engine stalls and a reduction of the vacuum has taken place, the piston rod 8 travels all of the way back and closes the switch 20 to energize the starter motor to restart the engine, because when the operator takes his foot ofi the accelerator, so as to throw the throttle to an inoperative position, the control rod 25 is moved to such a position that the segment 20 will not be engaged by the stop it as the piston rod 8 moves rearwardly.

It has already been stated that with the control handle 30 in the straight up and down position all of the circuits are broken, while with the control handle in the right hand angulated position the circuits to the starter motor are open, butthe circuit to the ignition system of the engine closed, so that the engine might be started by some means other than the starter motor. l

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be definitely understood that I do not desire to limit the application of the invention thereto, and any change or changes may be made in material and structure and arrangement of parts, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a starter circuit including a motor, a suction operated switch, an electromagnet circuit in which said suction operated switch is interposed, a current supply source connected to said starter circuit, said suction operated switch including a vacuum responsive member engaged with said switch to close the same during a condition of low vacuum, a normally open switch controlled by said electro-magnet circuit and interposed in the current supply side of the starter circuit, a throttle control rod having means thereon adapted to be positioned in the path of the vacuum responsive member when the said rod is in a throttle operated position, said member being then engageable with the red when the vacuum fails during acceleration and when said member is holding the first-mentioned switch open.

HENRY W. HARTY. 

